Like Hate
by Curly Valkyrie
Summary: Ren finds Nora in need of comfort. Of course, it's not the most convenient time, but when your best friend is hurting, that doesn't really matter.


Ren walked out of the shower to find a ginger Valkyrie curled up on his bed.

He sighed, striding across the hotel room to sit on the mattress. Laying a hand on her shoulder, he gently shook her awake. "Nora?"

The hammer-wielding Huntress raised her head, blinking blearily at him. "Hnn?"

Ren's heart sank. Nora's face was still grimy from their battle Nuckelavee Grimm, but there were obvious streak marks left from tears recently shed.

The ninja helped her sit up, patiently waiting as she rubbed the drowsiness from her eyes. When she was ready, he took her hand. Looking straight in her eyes, he softly asked, "What are you doing?"

Nora bit her lip, curling her knees up to her chest. "I was waiting for the shower," she mumbled, hugging her legs with her free arm. "You were taking so long, I fell asleep."

Ren cocked an eyebrow but nodded. He knew that wasn't the full truth; his childhood friend was an empath, and as a result, sought out comfort from the people around her. In moments like these, he'd learned it was best to let her express herself, instead of forcing a confession.

Standing up, he removed his hand from her grasp. "It's open now. Better hurry or Jaune will beat you to it. You know how long he takes." Moving to the closet, he began removing the towel around his waist when he heard her whimper.

"Wait."

Ren turned around, his gaze falling on the normally bright Huntress. She'd always taken up so much room before, despite her small stature, but now it seemed as if she had folded in on herself, minimizing her presence to a mere speck.

"Don't go."

He sighed. "Nora, I'll just be a moment. I need to get dressed."

"Don't go."

Her voice cracked, just like his heart. Carefully, he re-wrapped the towel and walked back over to his friend and teammate. He sat down on the bed again, waiting for her to say something else.

Nora breathed in shakily, holding the air for a moment before releasing it. "I-" She paused, screwing her eyes shut. "I hate this," she spat out.

Ren furrowed his brow. "What part?" he asked, confused by her unprompted outburst.

She clenched her fists. "All of it!" she all but screamed. "I hate that our parents are dead, hate that our village is gone, hate that our school was destroyed." She stood up and began pacing furiously.

"I hate fighting these stupid Grimm every day. I hate getting lost in the woods. I hate that we almost died, and I hate that it wasn't even the first time! I hate-" Here she stopped again, choking back a sob. "Why can't things go back to the way they were?"

"Nora…" Ren tried but was cut off.

"No! If you had been more thoughtful, we wouldn't have struggled so much against that Grimm! And if RWBY hadn't split, we wouldn't be caught in this stupid mess. I HATE them!"

Now she was screaming. Her breaths were coming in short bursts, and tears were flowing freely down her face. "I hate Ruby and Yang and Weiss and Blake! I hate you and I hate Jaune and I hate P-"

The name wouldn't come out, but it was obvious who she meant. "She didn't have to leave us, didn't have to make us fend for ourselves, but she did! She didn't care about us. She never did! I hate her; I hate, hate, HATE-"

Ren tackled her into a hug, pulling her close. Her loud sobs fell against his bare chest, tremors wracking her body as the grime and tears rubbed against his recently washed self. She beat his breast with her fist, screaming and crying like a child would, struggling against his grip. Still, Ren held fast.

He activated his Semblance, the calm talking effect on her person. Nora's fit ceased, leaving her quivering and silent in his hug. They sank to the floor, drained of all energy and unable to support themselves.

Ren pressed his lips to Nora's forehead. His lifelong friend whimpered, clutching her arms around his middle. "I can't do this," she whispered into his chest, right above his heart.

He couldn't respond, couldn't do anything to ease her pain except hold her until the shivering stopped. Checking, he found that she'd fallen asleep, soft, ragged breaths warming his exposed skin. Very, very gently, he scooped her up and laid her on the bed, carefully depositing her sleeping form on the sheets. Breaking away, he was finally able to dress, quickly pulling on a shirt and some pants and returning to Nora.

The Hunter ran a hand through his hair, tired but reluctant to succumb to sleep, fearing the dark dreams that haunted team RNJR. Dreams of death and destruction, of Grimm, of the people they'd lost…

A rustle caught his attention. Nora turned in her sleep, a frown pulling at the corners of her mouth. Immediately, Ren turned out the light and scooted across the bed, drawing the girl close to him. In the dark, she sought out his touch, snuggling up to his form. He merely kissed her again, offering what little comfort he could until the curtain of sleep enveloped him.

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